Abstract
Plasma-polymerized SiOxCyHz thin films have been playing an important role in many research studies due to their wide range of applications. These materials are perspective for industrial applications as protective coatings of metals or plastic substrates, anti-reflection coatings for solar cells, low-k dielectrics for microelectronics, water-repellent barrier films etc. Materials based on organosilicon precursors prepared by PECVD technique have become interesting for bioapplications in recent years as well due to their ability to optimize protein adsorption and cell attachment. These coatings have a great potential e.g. in BioMEMS microfabrication or treatment of biosensors and surfaces of medical implants.In the present study, low pressure RF capacitive coupled discharge in mixture of trimethylsilyl acetate (TMSA) monomer with oxygen or argon was used to create hydrophobic SiOxCyHz coatings. This study is focused primarily on research of properties of resulting coatings (chemical composition, mechanical properties, optical properties, surface wettability and surface structure) in dependence on discharge parameters. Properties of created thin films were examined in dependence on the ratio of TMSA monomer and carrier gas flow rates during the deposition process. Influence of used carrier gas (O2 or Ar) on growth of TMSA-based plasma polymers is discussed in this study as well.
Highlights
The use of organosilicon-based coatings prepared using plasma techniques in many industrial fields [1,2,3,4,5] explains persistent interest in their research and development over the years
The aim of the present study is to find relationships between the properties of trimethylsilyl acetate (TMSA)-based coatings and the variable discharge parameters
Changes in intensities of Si−O−C vibrations were very low in case of thin films created from TMSA/Ar gaseous mixture, usage of high amount of argon led to broadening of this peak towards lower wavenumbers and gradually went to the region associated with silanol vibrations at ~935 cm-1 (Figure 1) [12,13]
Summary
The use of organosilicon-based coatings prepared using plasma techniques in many industrial fields (e.g. protective coatings, anti-reflection coatings, barrier films, superhydrophobic surfaces etc.) [1,2,3,4,5] explains persistent interest in their research and development over the years. The present work is focused on preparation and characterization of plasma polymers based on trimethylsilyl acetate (TMSA) monomer using plasma of RF capacitive coupled discharge This precursor is, to HMDSO and other commonly used chemicals, suitable for formation of hydrophobic coatings as well as for hydrophilic materials with SiO2-like structure for industrial applications. The aim of the present study is to find relationships between the properties of TMSA-based coatings (chemical composition, mechanical properties, surface wettability etc.) and the variable discharge parameters. It was proven, that usage of different types of carrier gases leads to the significant differences in structure of organosilicon coatings [1,9]. The main focus of the present work was on study of the influence of TMSA precursor amount in gaseous mixture on the properties of resulting coatings as well as on the comparison of the growth of thin films using different carrier gases
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